The next day was Darksday, and Sharmin was released from the Hall to return home for the day. Most of the villagers made their way to the harbor to see the students off. Cedric was going with them, returning to Aden for guard duty. Sharmin however, was not among the farewell crowd. Instead she sat on the beach on the southwestern side of the island, a bit north of the harbor. She was wearing a dress her mother had made for the occasion, but was no longer used to the confining thing and had hiked it up to expose her legs to her thighs. Gatz and Ryonai were leaving on the ship as well as Leon. It would be a lot quieter without them around. She dug her bare feet in the sand, wriggling her toes.
"Oh hey, what are you doing all the way over here?" Narlafayn asked, making her way over to her. "Uh oh...you're wearing a dress...did you give up after all?" Sharmin shrugged and leaned her chin on her knees.
"No. I'm just wearing it for today." she mumbled.
"Oh." Narlafayn said, shifting her shield on her arm. She was silent for a moment, but Sharmin didn't look at her. "I suppose this is goodbye then." Narlafayn said, holding out her hand in a very human gesture. Sharmin stared at it in surprise and then took it, Narlafayn grinning and shaking her hand.
"You're leaving too?" Sharmin asked as she withdrew her hand. "You weren't here for long."
"Nah. I didn't have much to do here." Narlafayn said, standing again. "Besides, I made a friend who's leaving today, so I figured I'd accompany him along, take him back to the Elven Forest. It's a much kinder place to train, in my oh so humble opinion. Leon's a good kid, but much too serious for someone so young. He really needs to lighten up" she sighed; not seeing the bug-eyed stare Sharmin was giving her. The ship bell began dinging, signaling the ships' departure in five minutes time. "Well, there's the bell. I hope I'll see you again sometime. Hurry up and train so you can come to the mainland!" Narlafayn waved and ran off towards the harbor.
The ship pushed off right on time, and Sharmin stood as it came past the beach. She quickly climbed up a ledge to get to the cliff above her so she could watch the ship better. She squinted, scanning the ship for any familiar faces. She saw Cedric standing on the bow of the ship, his arms folded. Nearby, leaning on the side and watching the island pass was Leon. Tears welling in Sharmin's throat, she took a breath and cupped her hands over her mouth.
"LEON!" she shouted. Without checking to see if he heard her or if the sound was lost in the wind, she shouted again. "LEON! I LI..." her shout died away and she lowered her hands. They dangled limply at her sides as she watched the ship move farther out of view. She was sad, but oddly no tears came forth this time. She took a breath and squared her shoulders, watching the ship move farther away. "I'll get stronger and see you again soon." she promised. "And then I'll tell you properly." This decided, she gathered her shoes up from the grass and made her way back to the harbor, determination for the future renewed.
It was just past the second year after the boat carrying Leon departed for the mainland when the first disaster to befall Talking Island Village in years happened. Now that Cedric was in Aden, the amount of students coming to Talking Island had slowed, even though his nephew had taken over headmaster duties. Sharmin was making slow progress overcoming her phobia, and was finally able to hunt goblins and the occasional bat in the Elven Ruins. This frustrated the new headmaster, who encouraged Sharmin to return to village life several times. She ignored him, however, remembering Cedric's words to her, to take things at her own pace.
The day the disaster happened; Sharmin noticed it was strangely quiet in the fields that day. She and Komugi had been hunting goblins all morning, and it was around noon when she noticed that the number of them had diminished, and there were no Orcs in sight. Even the wolves and Keltirs seemed to be hiding.
"Wow...is it just me or is it really quiet today?" Komugi asked in a hushed voice, as if she were scared to speak loudly. Sharmin nodded, scanning the hillside for any more goblins. It was then when Sharmin noticed a faint rumbling in the earth, and a rising dust cloud to the north. A Knight, whom Sharmin knew by the name 'Montavious' suddenly came racing over the top of the hill, his face white with fear.
"RUN!" he cried as he came, waving his arms frantically. Komugi and Sharmin stayed put, staring at him in confusion. "The beasts, they're coming! RUN!" his voice cracked and he ran past the girls, shouting, "The beasts are on the move!" Sharmin and Komugi both slowly turned their heads, as the rumbling became a more pronounced earth shake. Their eyes widened in unison as scores of Orcs, Werewolves and Skeletons came racing over the top of the hill, shouting and growling in a hellish manner.
"'Min..." Komugi whimpered in a frightened voice.
"Run." Sharmin said, turning towards the village and pushing her sister ahead of her. They raced through the town gates just as the first set of monsters arrived, hopping over the walls and downing villagers as they raced to the safety of the church. The guards shot arrows into the horde and clashed swords with them, but it was in vain. There were too many of them. The two girls raced towards the church, Sharmin pulling her frightened sister. Monsters scattered about the village, breaking into homes and jumping on the villagers to kill them. Screams filled the air all around them, and Komugi began to cry.
"What about mommy and daddy?" she asked, clinging onto Sharmin's hand tightly.
"Don't think about that now." Sharmin yelled over the din and clatter of battle. Komugi screamed as a skeleton landed in front of them and let out a hissing roar. In one movement, Sharmin pulled a tiny flask of holy water from a chain about her neck, pulled the cork with her teeth, and poured it over her sword. She spit out the cork and sent the blade through the middle of the undead creature's spine, causing it to hiss and gasp before dissolving into dust. Without pause, Sharmin reached behind her to grab her sister's arm again, determined to get her to the safety of the church.
Komugi cried out as a Werewolf landed from a long aerial jump near her, and scratched her shoulder. Without a thought, Sharmin whipped around and ran the beast through, and it howled in pain as it fell. An arrow suddenly landed in her hip, and Sharmin cried out, stumbling forward a bit before glaring over her shoulder, her teeth bared. An Orc Archer snorted and growled some distance away, pulling another arrow from its quiver and placing it on the bowstring. Sharmin sucked in a hissing breath of air and ran towards the archer, shouting a loud battle cry as she raised her sword. She deflected its next arrow with her shield, and swung her blade as hard as she could, and beheaded the creature in one blow. Blood covered her, but she took no notice and grabbed her sister's arm once more, toting her the final length to the church. She pushed Komugi in the door and then turned to run back out into the chaos.
"Sharmin, where are you going?" Komugi asked, frightened. She grabbed onto Sharmin's arm, tears streaming down her face. "Don't go back out there!" she pleaded desperately, trying to pull her into the church. Sharmin kissed Komugi's forehead and gently pried herself from her sister's grip before shutting the door firmly. Sharmin ran back into the fray, dark determination set in her features. She cut down monsters as they came at her, her goal to reach her home and protect her parents firmly set in her mind.
A Werewolf Chieftain growled and snapped right in her face, but she paid little notice, and ran him through methodically. His claws scraped at her back, leaving deep scores in her wooden armor, but she only thrust her sword deeper, waiting for his useless fighting to cease. As soon as he weakened she threw him from her sword and pushed onward, barely feeling the pain in her hip from the arrow that was still embedded there. She slid to a stop as her home came into view, her breath catching in her throat and her eyes widening. The thatch roof had caved in at one spot, and the windows were all broken. The door hung off its hinges, and there were crashing noises coming from within. Sharmin wanted to scream for her parents, but instead found her legs moving towards the house, her sword ready.
"Don't, Sharmin." Gatz's voice suddenly came, his arms wrapping around her tightly to pin her arms and hold her back. Only half-hearing his voice, Sharmin struggled against him, a groaning noise coming from deep in her throat. "Sharmin, don't do this to yourself!" he said louder, pulling her back. Sharmin suddenly let out an animalistic, scream, her legs giving away underneath her. He kneeled with her, letting her lean towards the ground, his arms still pinning hers to her sides. She began to cry, sobbing at the top of her lungs. Somewhere beyond her grief she heard the shouts of warriors as they ran into the village, killing monsters in their path. The monster's siege was over in mere seconds, those lucky to survive it running back into the wilderness.